Rolling parallel-ruler.



E. G. HOLME ROLLING PARALLEL RULER.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 19, 1910.

qgium Q j I Wm mllllll Patented Oct.

lizyawfikhzw Inventor,

Attorneys,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE O. HOLMES, 0F JONESVILLE, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO LUTHER M.

CARMICAL, OF J ONESVILLE, VIRGINIA.

ROLLING PARALLEL-RULER.

1,oo5,21s.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE C. HOLMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at J onesville, in the county of Lee and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Rolling Parallel-Ruler, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to drafting instruments, and more especially to parallel rulers which roll over the surface being treated; and the object of the same is to produce a ruler of this type which is positively pinned to the drawing board or paper when it is not being moved but wherein the pins or prickers are raised out of the paper when the ruler is to be moved.

To this end the invention consists in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of this ruler complete. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the base or ruler proper, which may or may not have an extension scale as shown in Fig. 1, although I prefer to employ it and will now describe it. Secured along one edge of the base is a round rod 2 on which moves a nearly cylindrical sleeve 3, and secured to the latter as by a screw 1 is an arm 5 which in turn is secured by screws 6 to a plate 7 The latter is attached to a sliding scale or ruler 8 by means of dowel pins 9 and a thumb screw 10 or any other convenient form of attachment which will render it removable from the scale at will. With this construction the scale 8 and sleeve 3 can be moved longitudinally on the rod 2 and adjusted relatively to the base 1 so that the scale can be projected to a considerable distance beyond and in alinement with the base as will be understood. However, as previously stated, this feature may be omitted if desired.

Coming now more particularly to the present invention, the numerals 11 designate two upright standards rising from the base and having vertically elongated slotted bearings 12, and in the latter are mounted loosely the ends of a shaft 13 upon which is fixed two wheels or rollers 14:- standing over and adapted to be projected through openings 15 in the base 1. About midway between the standards a post 16 is secured to Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1910.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 587,903.

and rises from the base 1, and pivoted at 17 to said post is a lever 18 having at its remote end a thumb piece 19 and between the latter and the pivot a depending hook 20, and within the hook a downwardly projecting bearing face 21 which rests upon the shaft 13. By preference the bearing or pivotal head of this lever has a notch 22 adapted to strike a pin 23 in the post 16 when the hook strikes the upper face of the base 1, but this notch and pin may be omitted because the hook alone will limit the depression of the lever 18. Or the hook may be omitted and the notch and pin will limit the depression of the lever.

At remote points from the base and preferably near its corners as shown in Fig. l are fixed two upright bosses 30 each having in its side a set screw 31 adapted to bear against a pin 32 which passes downward through the center of the boss and whose point 33 projects through the base 1. The construction is such that by loosening the thumb screw the pin may be adjusted slightly, and the intention is that its point will always project a slight distance below the lower face of the base so that when the latter rests fiat upon the board or drawing paper said point will embed it, but when the base is raised as seen in Fig. 2 said point will be raised above the paper.

The parts are shown in their normal position in Fig. 3, wherein of course said points or pins embed the paper and the device may be used as a ruler in the ordinary way. WVhen it is desired to draw a line parallel with one that has already .been drawn, the operator depresses the thumb piece 19 which causes the face 21 to bear downward on the shaft 13, and the latter being supported by the rollers 14 the fulcrum point 17 of the lever is drawn upward, and this in turn raises the edge of the base as seen in Fig. 2 so that the points or pins are lifted out of the paper. Thereafter the operator can slide the ruler along on the paper, and one edge which is raised and which carries the pinswill travel over the paper, the device then serving as a parallel ruler in the well known way. When a new point has been reached on the paper, the operator releases pressure on the thumb piece and the free edge of the base descends so that the points 33 again engage the paper and hold the ruler stationary. It is obvious that the extension device 'at the other edge may or may not be used if employed, and may in fact be omitted entirely..

All parts are of the desired sizes, shapes, proportions and materials; and considerable addition thereto and modification therein may be made without departing from t he lever pivoted thereto and extending across said shaft, where it has a bearing face resting thereon, to a thumb piece at its remote end, and an integral hook on the lever standing beneath said bearing face and adapted to rest on the upper face of the base when the lever is depressed.

2. In a parallel ruler, the combination with a base having openings through its body, bosses rising from one edge of the latter, and pins adjustably mounted in said bosses with their points projecting below the lower face of the body; of standards rising from the base and having vertically elongated bearings, a shaft mounted therein, rollers thereon adapted to pass through said openings, a post rising from the base, a lever pivoted thereto and extending across said shaft to a thumb piece at its remote end, and an integral hook on the lever adapted to rest on the upper face of the base when the lever is depressed.

3. In a parallel ruler, the combination With a fiat base having openings through its body near one edge, a vertically movable shaft having rollers thereon above the openings, and mechanism carried by the base for depressing the shaft and projecting the rollers through said openings; of a round rod mounted along the base near its opposite edge, a sleeve adapted to slide and to turn on said rod, and a scale carried by said sleeve and standing beyond this edge of the base.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE C. HOLMES. Vvitnesses A. CAM. VVYNN, B. F. DIXON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

